Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
SHUGGIE BAIN BY DOUGLAS STUART
Douglas Stuart was born in Glasgow, and his debut novel Shuggie Bain won him the 2020 Booker Prize. In the tale of a teenage boy who dreams of being a hairdresser in 1980s post-industrial Glasgow, Stuart portrays a world we rarely see touched on in literary fiction which has been hailed by critics as a masterpiece.
Stuart’s novel opens with:
“The day was flat. That morning his mind had abandoned him and left his body wandering down below”
Which in Scots, becomes:
“The dey wis dreich. Thon morn, his mind had gaed aff an lea’d his body haikin doon ablow”
Dracula by Bram Stoker
DRACULA BY BRAM STOKER
Published in 1897, Stoker is thought to have drawn inspiration from Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire for Dracula. Since its publication, Dracula has become far more than just a book. Now, Dracula might be who we immediately think of when someone mentions ‘vampires,’ and we’ve all undoubtedly seen depictions of him around Halloween!
Stoker’s novel opens with:
“Left Munich at 8:35 p.m., on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6:46, but train was an hour late”
Which in Scots, becomes:
“Gaed oot fae Munich at 8:35p.m., on 1st May, intae Vienna early the follaein morn; shouldae arrived at 6:46, but train wis an oor late”
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR BY GEORGE ORWELL
Another literary classic: George Orwell wrote this gritty, dystopian novel while staying on the Scottish island of Jura. Seeking peace and solitude on this west-coast isle while writing the book in 1948 paid off well, making a cultural impact that’s lasted for the better part of a century.
Orwell’s novel opens with:
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen”
Which in Scots, becomes:
“It wis a bricht, cauld dey in April, an the clocks wis chappin thirteen”
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
OUTLANDER BY DIANA GABALDON
Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander perfectly combines 18th century Scotland, time travel (yes, you read that right!), romance and adventure. Selling over 25 million copies worldwide and now adapted into the popular TV series of the same name, Outlander is quickly becoming yet another spell-binding classic set in Scotland. The TV series has many filming locations in Scotland, why not pay them a visit?
Gabaldon’s novel opens with:
“It wasn’t a very likely place for disappearances, at least at first glance”
Which in Scots, becomes:
“It wisnae a likely placie fir disappearances, at least, no tae the first glisk”
Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi
CELESTIAL BODIES BY JOKHA ALHARTHI
This novel won Jokha Alharthi the Man Booker International Prize in 2019, and its poignant display of love and loss paints an authentic portrait of Omani society. The multigenerational narrative of the book takes readers on a journey with three sisters, highlighting political and cultural drifts along the way. Alharthi pursued her PhD at the University of Edinburgh and has said of the city: “Edinburgh has enriched my experience as a writer, and I am grateful to it.”
Alharthi’s novel opens with:
“Mayya, forever immersed in her Singer sewing machine, seemed lost to the outside world”
Which in Scots, becomes:
“Mayya, for aye in a dwam ower her Singer sewing machine, seemed tint tae the ootside world”
Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin
KNOTS & CROSSES BY IAN RANKIN
Ian Rankin was born in the Scottish town of Cardenden and has since gone on to grip the world with his thrilling crime novels. Knots & Crosses introduces Rankin’s famous character, Inspector Rebus. It tells the story of the Edinburgh cop as he tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together to uncover the maniac carrying out a series of murders in the city.
Rankin’s novel opens with:
“The girl screamed once, only the once”
Which in Scots, becomes:
“The lassie let oot ae skirl, just the ane”
Fever of the Bone by Val McDermid
FEVER OF THE BONE BY VAL MCDERMID
Born in Kirkcaldy, McDermid is one of the biggest names in crime writing, and her books have sold over 16 million copies worldwide. Fever of the Bone follows the story of two of McDermid’s famous characters as they unravel the murder of a teenage girl, full of twists and turns, this is not one to be missed.
McDermid’s novel opens with:
“The vaulted ceiling acted as a giant amplifier for the conversation bouncing round the room”
Which in Scots, becomes:
“The vaultit ceilin wis a giant amplifier fir the conversation stottin roon the room.”
Peter Pan by JM Barrie
PETER PAN BY JM BARRIE
Did you know that JM Barrie was born in the Scottish town of Kirriemuir? Undoubtedly his most famous work, Peter Pan, is no longer just a novel anymore – just like Dracula. As soon as the boy-who-never-grew-up is mentioned, our imaginations immediately transport us to Neverland, where we see the lost boys, Captain Hook and, who could forget, Tinkerbell.
Barrie’s novel opens with:
“All children, except one, grow up”
Which in Scots, becomes:
“Aw bairns, except ane, grow up”
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
HARRY POTTER & THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS BY JK ROWLING
Quite possibly the most famous franchise to have Scottish roots, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter novels have captivated the hearts and imaginations of children and adults alike since the first book came out in 1997. Rowling infamously wrote the first novel in the series in a café in Edinburgh, which has already been translated into Scots.
Rowling’s novel opens with:
“Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive”
Which in Scots, becomes:
“No fir the first time, a rammy had brak oot ower breakfast at nummer fower, Privet Drive”
